Hunter
12/04/19
The Cedar Rapids City Council passed a second reading of a vote that would allow Cargill to build a railyard in the Rompot neighborhood.
With a vote of 8-1, the area south of Stewart Road Southeast would be rezoned to make way for the 200-car, 12-track rail yard.
Cargill argues that they need the yard to stay competitive, and have made concessions to neighbors opposed to the project. Operations would be limited to 7am to 7pm and a ten acre “no-man’s land” between the yard and the residents would be maintained for environmental preservation.
Over four dozen Cargill employees attended the meeting, and the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the facility manager urged staff to attend in an email, noting that “we are in a fight for our future.”
The matter needs a third vote to be finalized, and that’s likely to come at the council’s next meeting on December 17th.
